Downtown Cda Beginning To See Changes

A few of the many empty spaces in downtown Coeur d’Alene are filling, with the most notable being the former Wells Fargo/First Interstate Bank building at Fifth Street and Sherman Avenue.

Occupants will be about 20 employees of the KXLY Broadcast Group, which will centralize its North Idaho holdings in the 5,000-square-foot building. Included will be the KXLY North Idaho news bureau, which will move from the Old City Hall building (across Fifth Street), and KVNI 1080 AM radio and KHTQ FM Rock 94-1/2, which will both move from the current KVNI Building at First Street and Lakeside Avenue.

Changes should be complete in late July. No plans have been announced for the current KVNI Building, owned by Hagadone Corp. The 54-year-old business was sold to KXLY last June. The lakeview building shares parking space with the neighboring Coeur d’Alene Press.

KXLY offices will move first and plan to be operating from the new facility, with a production studio, in mid-July. The radio stations will move by Aug. 1.

KVNI broadcaster Dick Haugen will continue his popular weekday morning show from 6-10 a.m., and his midday report at 11:30 a.m. The congenial Haugen, 44, has been in the business 27 years, including nine at KVNI.

The music portion of the station’s format will change to country and western, with an in-house disc jockey. The sports emphasis will not change. It will continue to feature Seattle Mariners and Seahawks games, the University of Idaho, NBA playoffs and spotlighted prep games.

“We have made a commitment to downtown Coeur d’Alene,” said Chris Garras, KXLY general manager.

Resort clothing for the lowest price in town is the claim of Beach King, now open at 413 Sherman. The inventory includes quality T-shirts for $12, Hawaiian plants and fresh-cut flowers and Hawaiian dresses and shirts.

Decorating of the 600-square-foot facility, which formerly housed the One of a Kind store, includes a sand-covered floor, a bamboo counter, tropical plants and a 150-gallon aquarium. Owners are Melissa and Doyle Ward, who have been in North Idaho seven years. He originally is from Cambridge, Idaho, and she was raised in Oklahoma, where they met.

The Wards also own Great Kid, which makes children’s clothes that are shipped all over the world. The company has eight assembly employees, whom the Wards plan to move to a Sherman Avenue location this summer, and eight sales representatives.

Summer hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Phone 664-6050.

Boats, motorhomes and autos provide the acronym for BMA Parts, now open at 839 Main in Rathdrum. The 10,000-square-foot building formerly housed Prairie Building Supply.

Owners are Michael and Tiffany Andrews and George Lindner, all of whom relocated to North Idaho from Las Vegas after visiting here. They have 20 years’ experience in the auto retail parts and repair business.

Hours at the independent store are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. Phone 687-4349.

If your favorite espresso stand moved or closed recently, take heart. More are on the way.

Kickers will open June 19 in the Skate Plaza lot at Highway 95 and Dalton Avenue. Owners are Becky and Mike Davis of Liberty Lake. Becky chose the location because Coeur d’Alene is her favorite place, Mike said.

Latte Lane will open near the end of June in front of Midway Appliance at 510 Best Ave., Coeur d’Alene. Owner is Donna Kinney, who previously had an espresso stand in the old Parker Toyota lot at Government Way and Anton Avenue.

Next door, at 520 Best Ave., Hathaway Meats is adding on to its 3-year-old wholesale meat processing plant. The Spokane-based company primarily turns out hamburger patties in the 10,000-square-foot western portion of the large building that was the original Tidyman’s store in Coeur d’Alene, where Hathaway has 20 employees.

Tidbits:

The former Bagelby’s at 223 W. Appleway, Coeur d’Alene, and 121 W. Prairie, Hayden, are now The Bagel and are no longer affiliated with the Bagelby’s company. Owner Tyler Anderson said the menu remains basically the same, and partner Jungle Juice still occupies its portions. The Coeur d’Alene building originally housed a Schuck’s Auto Supply store, and the Hayden store is in the Prairie Shopping Center.

The Kootenai County Farmers’ Market has expanded to include 5-7:30 p.m. hours on Wednesdays, through September. Located in the southeast corner at Highway 95 and Prairie Avenue, the market also is open Saturday mornings.